Fail to plan, plan to fail.

The idea of what a new ERP system and process automation can deliver for your client’s business is exciting – but before they can experience the benefits, they need to undertake a successful implementation.

The transition period of system implementation is critical to the success of your client’s ERP further down the line – simply investing in process automation technology does not guarantee your clients a seamless journey to success and growth.

Not only is an ERP system an investment of time and money but it will affect the way your client’s employees do their job, the future capabilities of their business and their capacity for growth.

With stakes this high, successful implementation can prove to be make or break.

Poor approach, poor result

The ERP implementation itself can only fail if you and your clients allow it to. Taking a back seat and assuming the vendor and the technology can do all the work for your clients will result in:

Your clients receiving a system that’s not right for them

During the implementation phase, the ERP vendor will work to customise the system to best suit your client’s business needs (within the limits of the technology). Your clients failing to establish specifically what they expect and need from the system – or focusing on the fancy features instead of must-haves – will see deliverance of a system that doesn’t meet your client’s process automation needs and can’t be utilised to its full potential.

Not achieving goals

If your clients can’t clearly outline what quantifiable targets they want to reach with the help of the ERP system, chances are that not only will it be difficult to customise, but they could face problems convincing their staff to get onboard with such a big change. If your clients don’t know what their goals are, they should be reassessing their decision to implement ERP in the first place.

Experiencing people problems

Your clients failing to get their staff involved with the transition and not establishing open paths of communication will result in an incredibly disjointed ERP implementation experience. Failure to consider the human impact of change leads to:

Technology that doesn’t suit your client’s staff needs

Staff dissatisfaction

Staff unable or unwilling to utilise the technology

Discovering problems (or better ideas) after implementation.

The result of all these factors is a system that doesn’t automate the processes your clients desire and ultimately, a waste of time and money.

A poorly implemented ERP system can cause all kinds of headaches

Cover all your client’s bases

Before your clients start their ERP implementation – or even source a vendor – they need to carefully think about their expectations, goals, and unique business requirements or parameters. Your clients can never be too prepared, especially when it comes to ERP systems.

Chances are your clients won’t be going through this process again for quite some time, so it’s worth them putting in the effort to make sure they’re getting just what they need, and that the system they implement now will continue to benefit their business through future periods of change and growth.

No one knows your client’s business like they do. Using their employee experience and knowledge, past limitations and future goals, they have the ability to build a strong foundation for their new ERP system.

Keep in mind that before – and throughout – the implementation journey, your client’s need to consider:

Business trajectory

Processes that can benefit from optimisation/automation.

Each role that will be affected (and how)

Their quantifiable business targets

The benefits of an ERP system can be endless – if you plan correctly

Get out what you put in

The path to ERP is not walked alone – your client’s ERP vendor will be their partner through the process. Their ERP vendor will be there to provide them with expertise they need to realise desired benefits and process automation. However, it’s important not to expect too much from them, as they can’t do all the work for your clients.

Your client’s best chance at a positive ERP implementation and system transition is through building a specific pre-implementation plan.

This plan allows your client’s entire business to be ready for the changes the ERP system will bring, and ensure they’re getting the best ROI. Some helpful elements to ensure is included in your client’s plan are:

Project objectives – Why are your clients implementing the system? What business goals are they wanting it to help them achieve?
What process automation are they seeking?

Project team – Designate a representative from every department that will be affected by the change and have them take ownership of a particular area of the implementation based on their expertise.

Discovery – Make time for you ERP vendor to learn the ins and outs of your client’s business processes and future goals, so they can build a system that reflects this.

Change management – Form a strategy and team to handle the human impact of the change and drive communication throughout the business

It can be easy to get caught up in the end result – but to ensure your client’s make it there, preparation is key.

For a step-by-step walk through of how to approach and build a pre-implementation plan, download the HARMONiQ ERP Automation eBook. Here you can find all the most commonly asked questions about ERP’s and read a more in-depth overview of the implementation process.

The opportunities and benefits of workflow automation

Whenever your clients are considering a change in business process, it’s important to know why they’re making the change and what they’re getting out of it – especially when it’s going to affect their entire organisation.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are software solutions that automate complex business processes. They can give companies the power to streamline operations and increase performance efficiency that would otherwise be slowed down by clunky manual processes.

While they might sound like the one solution to all your client’s operational problems, it’s important not to jump in without fully considering your client’s company needs – transitioning to an ERP is a serious investment, both economically and time-wise.

So how do you determine if an ERP is the right choice for your client’s company?

Are manual processes slowing your clients down?

There are many ways in which inefficient manual processes can negatively affect business operations, but here we will be focusing on three that are often deemed the most important by businesses considering a system change.

Cost

It’s true that ERP system implementation comes with a cost, but many businesses overlook the cost they’re already wearing due to inefficient processes.

While manual processes can work well for some smaller companies, a lot of the time they can be costly for larger businesses or those striving for growth. These costs can be large and plentiful, caused by:

Lost productivity through time-consuming manual work

Extra staff needed to complete processes

Repetition of tasks due to human error

Loss of stock due to poorly maintained manual records

Lost customers due to stock unavailability

These are direct costs, as well as indirect costs associated with loss of time and staff productivity. The latter can often be overlooked by companies – especially if ineffective manual processes have become the norm.

Manual inventory management can be a messy and expensive process

Competition

While your clients don’t want to just implement a new system because everyone else is, it’s important to understand their competition and the services they are offering.

If your clients competitors have already implemented workflow automation and are making the most of the benefits, there’s a real chance they’re improved processes are drawing in customers – customers that could be coming to your clients. If your client’s processes are slow, difficult and time-consuming, they aren’t able to go above and beyond for their customers to achieve sales growth.

In this day and age, information is much more accessible, allowing customers the privilege of shopping around and doing their research. If a competitor can offer faster, more accurate and a more cost-effective service than your clients, chances are they’ll score the business.

Growth

If, like many companies, your clients want to achieve growth and see your business prosper, it’s unlikely their current processes will support them in this goal.

It is next to impossible to experience and sustain growth with a paper-based system and manual processes. As your client’s business starts to grow, how are they going to:

Review, keep track and store paperwork and business documents?

Store, distribute, track and manage an increased inventory?

Train staff and keep them up to date on all business operations?

Take care and keep track of every customer?

View all business data to gain visibility of overall business performance?

More business means more paperwork – are you prepared?

Know where your clients stand

You can now see how important it is to take a thorough look at your client’s business practices – unnoticed costs and roadblocks can often be discovered hiding in plain sight.

Now you know what to look for, you will have a better ability to determine your clients need for workflow automation. You should be considering:

The cost of implementing an ERP vs. the cost of keeping things the same at your client’s business

The projection of your clients industry and the paths their competitors are taking to further progress their business and boost sales

Whether your client’s current practices can support them through periods of growth without compromising on service delivery

This is a good sign that your clients should be looking for a way to update their system through workflow automation, which can provide the biggest reward for the smallest investment.

Look to the future with workflow automation

Implementing an ERP system is the most efficient way to achieve workflow automation across your client’s business. ERP’s are fully integratable, and can streamline processes throughout your entire operation, including:

Warehousing and Distribution

CRM

Inventory Management

Sales

Reporting

Allowing an ERP to simplify and automate your client’s business processes removes the chance of error, saves time and money, increases staff productivity and will allow for growth without interruption.

If you’re considering implementing an ERP system into your client’s business, you can discover more about the process in our eBook ERP Automation: Is an ERP system the right move for my business? It will also give you a more extensive idea of the benefits and capabilities of ERP’s, so you can make a clear and objective decision regarding the suitability for your client’s business.

Next month, I will be talking about the most efficient way to implement an ERP system.

If you would like to discuss this further, please email me at drew@micronet.com.au – I am always happy to have a chat.

https://harmoniq.com.au/wp-content/uploads/HARMONiQ-square-logo.jpg500500mathmarketinghttps://harmoniq.com.au/wp-content/uploads/harmoniq_Accounting_Solutions_Software.logo_.jpgmathmarketing2018-12-20 13:44:522019-01-07 14:51:40Is an ERP system the right move for your clients?

If they are, the good news is that online sales reached $1.5 trillion dollars worldwide in 2016, and over the last 2 years has continued to grow.

That number demonstrates that customers are increasingly refusing to be limited by physical boundaries and the need to shop in store or fill out manual orders. So, there are some huge opportunities to expand into e-commerce in order to tap into that market.

But is it worth it for your client’s businesses?

With so much potential revenue waiting for them, it’s a smart move to start weighing up their options and considering the viability of an e-commerce website for their business.

Online shopping is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world.

Taking the first step into the world of e-commerce

For businesses who engage in traditional offline selling practices, deciding to sell their products online is a new terrain and may seem intimidating at first. There are many questions to ask yourself, including:

How will their customers benefit from an e-commerce site?

How much is an e-commerce site going to cost them?

How will they set up the site?

Who will set up the site?

When is the right time to launch?

But, before your clients even begin to go down that rabbit hole, they need to weigh up what they would like to achieve with online selling. Then collectively you can determine whether or not e-commerce actually has the capability to achieve these goals for your clients.

If your clients already know that e-commerce is a direction they want to take, our Selling Online e-book, is a complete guide to everything they need to know to get them started on their e-commerce journey. But, if they’re not sold on the idea yet, read on.

Your client’s objectives vs. e-commerce capabilities

For any business, it’s safe to assume that they’re always looking for new ways to make their processes more efficient, grow their business and make more money.

That’s why e-commerce and the opportunities it creates (and the needs that it can fulfil) is so exciting.

Let’s take a look at the 3 most common needs businesses are wanting to fulfil with online selling.

1. Increasing their customer reach

The beauty in your clients having a smaller customer base is how well they get to know their customers, so there are definitely some advantages to staying traditional. By building stronger relationships, your client’s customers will often become advocates for their brand and spread positive word-of-mouth to their network.

While traditional bricks and mortar businesses are limited to the customer base that surrounds the vicinity of the store or warehouse, one-on-one customer engagement is still an extremely important part of selling. Being able to speak directly to customers about their needs, issues and the value your client’s products offer will provide them valuable guidance.

For these reasons, sticking with traditional practices is a totally viable business option. But, when it comes to e-commerce, your clients can gain access to an entirely new customer base — and boost their sales volume as a result.

With e-commerce, it’s possible to reach thousands of new customers (potentially from anywhere in the world), at any time of the day or night. Traditional business hours no longer matter, as customers can complete their orders 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

And even better than that?

Your clients, as the merchant, wouldn’t need to dedicate any extra resources to support it.

2. Increased workflow and supply-chain efficiency

While front-facing operations are a huge part of selling online, there is a whole other side of online selling that involves processing customer orders and getting them out quickly and efficiently.

When set-up correctly, e-commerce sites are a cost-effective way to streamline your client’s workflow processes by eliminating manual, labour-intensive processes and replacing them with automation.

e-commerce platforms can help your clients to:

Streamline order processesManage all incoming orders from a centralised location, leading to larger volumes of orders that can be filled daily.

Increase order accuracyMaintain order accuracy, even during busy times of the year like major sales and Christmas.

However, if your client’s currently operate warehousing facilities but they aren’t currently selling online, these systems are still able to be utilised with mobile warehousing solutions.

Your clients don’t necessarily need an e-commerce site to automate their warehouse processes, but seamlessly integrating the two will make the buying process a lot easier for them, and their customers.

Seemlessly integrate e-commerce and distribution operations.

3. Achievement of financial goals

If your clients are after quick, short-term financial gain, e-commerce may not be the right move for their business. Online selling is much more of a long-term investment that will cost them at first but will certainly earn back its value very quickly.

They need to be aware that there will be initial set-up costs to get their site up and running. But, before they even get to that stage, there will be lots of time (and money) spent on strategy and planning to get the right solution for their business and — more importantly — their customers.

In saying that, in the long-run, e-commerce is an extremely successful and sustainable business model. The operational costs are far lower than traditional bricks-and-mortar, and marketing automation functions will lower the total number of employees required to run your client’s business. This will result in outstanding long-term ROI, and the initial set-up costs will quickly be forgotten.

There’s no question that more and more businesses are turning to digital, driven by customer demand. But that doesn’t mean it is the right move for your client’s businesses to move online — yet.

In order to be successful, your clients will need thorough planning, and be supported by well-chosen technology that suits the needs and wants of their business and their customers. Check out the Selling Online eBook for more information about assessing if your client’s business is ready for online selling.

Are your clients thinking about online selling?

HARMONiQ has helped a wide range of retail, warehousing and distribution business make a successful and seamless switch to a fully integrated e-commerce solution which maximised their sales and ROI.

Here you’ll find a complete overview of all the planning and resources your clients need to invest in, so they can effectively facilitate the launch of a successful e-commerce platform.

And if your clients would like to see first-hand how our system can help them seamlessly transition to online selling, click here to request a demo and I’ll be in touch shortly.

Author bio:

Drew Arthur is the Managing Director of Micronet Systems and is focused on helping business leaders overcome inefficient sales, inventory, and customer relationship management practices by leveraging cutting edge technology. If your clients want to gain better control of the sales processes in their business, click here to see how HARMONiQ Business Tuning Software can make a difference to their business, or click here to get in touch.

https://harmoniq.com.au/wp-content/uploads/HARMONiQ-square-logo.jpg500500mathmarketinghttps://harmoniq.com.au/wp-content/uploads/harmoniq_Accounting_Solutions_Software.logo_.jpgmathmarketing2018-08-28 16:14:472018-11-22 08:43:02Should your clients be selling online? Discover if e-commerce is right for their business

But in competitive industries such as wholesale, distribution, or retail, your clients need to do much more than just eliminate inefficiencies. Every dollar counts, so they need to be looking for ways to both cut costs where necessary and invest in long-term solutions that will be more cost-effective.

Every business is striving to stay competitive with innovation, technology and improved processes. That means your client’s businesses need to be too. Because continuing to rely on how things have always been done can be the fastest way for them to get left behind.

The eBook will go into more detail about the various processes and changes you can implement in order to control costs, but today I’m bringing you the top 3 methods of leveraging process automation. These will increase your client’s capability to control costs and give a huge leg-up on your ability to be competitive.

This is especially the case if they have multiple systems working in isolation. This creates a huge number of issues, one of the most significant being an extreme amount of double-handling. This includes:

Importing and exporting data between different systems

Entering the same data multiple times

Re-entering data if there’s errors and inconsistencies

Obviously, this level of inefficiency is going to rapidly increase costs, not help control them.

Double-handling is a constant adversary for retail, warehousing and distribution businesses, and process automation is one of the only ways to guarantee victory over it.

Businesses who use software that integrates all aspects of their operations (accounting, inventory management, customer service, eMarketing, etc.) can easily identify and eliminate instances in which staff duplicate their efforts, make errors, or repeat data entry.

Streamline your client’s reporting

Monitoring your client’s KPIs through robust reporting is a great way to ensure their business stays on the right track and is effectively controlling costs.

Many business executives think this means having to dedicate significant resources towards data compilation and analytics. But is that really the case?

Of course not!

Automated reporting is an opportunity being seized by businesses who want to gain a competitive advantage.

By making full use of their reporting tools, leading businesses generate reports to ensure that:

Financials are on track

Variances are investigated immediately

Sales staff are held accountable for their targets

Generating pipeline analytics is fast and easy

So not only does process automation allow your clients to track how they have done in the past, it can also help them plan intelligently for the future.

Engage your client’s customers

Businesses frequently rely solely on staff to action follow-up tasks and respond to customer enquiries. This almost inevitably results in some tasks falling through the cracks, which means missed opportunities and a compromised customer service record.

That’s hardly ideal if your clients are trying to remain competitive — especially if they are relying on referrals or return business to boost their bottom line.

This is where I’ve seen businesses use their CRMs (Customer Relationship Management systems) to intelligently achieve significant advantage in customer satisfaction. Some examples of what they do:

Automatic follow-ups to quotes

Targeted emails to touch base with existing customers every few months

Personalised follow-up emails to customers who have deviated from their usual buying habits

By using a CRM to automate these tasks, your clients could be saving time and effort for their staff, while also continuing to maintain meaningful relationships with their customers and drive increased sales and cost controls.

As strong advocates for automation, we’ve helped businesses leverage technology to increase their efficiency and profitability with our HARMONiQ Business Tuning Software.

It’s a unique platform that gives your clients:

Full integration by incorporating all operations into one platform — totally streamlining their business.

The ability to track key performance metrics, as well as pipeline analytics, allowing your clients to forecast their outcomes and make more informed decisions.

Automation of simple selling and sales support tasks, such as sending follow up emails for quotes, or setting reminders for follow up calls.

These are just a few of the ways HARMONiQ can help your clients optimise their business processes and gain that edge they need. As a truly customisable and scalable software, your clients can leverage HARMONiQ to drive significant efficiencies, while also ensuring that the software will continue to grow alongside their business.

If you would like to discuss how you can start leveraging process automation for your clients and other great technology to achieve significant efficiency improvements in their businesses, please call me on 02 9542 2000.

Author bio:

Drew Arthur is the Managing Director of Micronet Systems and is focused on helping business leaders overcome inefficient sales, inventory, and customer relationship management practices by leveraging cutting edge technology. If you want to gain better control of the sales processes in your client’s business, click here to see how HARMONiQ Business Tuning Software can make a difference to their business, or click here to get in touch.

That adds up to a huge amount of money — last year alone, it was estimated that a staggering $4.5 billion was lost due to inventory shrinkage in Australia’s retail, warehousing and distribution sector.

Most businesses attribute a large portion of these losses to theft and breakage. While these factors do play a significant part in lost capital, there’s no denying thehuge losses that are caused by inefficiencies and errors.

Inventory shrinkage is a massive cost for Australian businesses

By inefficiencies, I mean:

Unchecked stock variances, or the excessive monitoring of variances

Invoicing errors

Administrative mistakes

Double-handling of inventory and tasks

And the worst part?

Often these expensive drains on productivity are either passed onto your client’s customers, or simply taken as a hit to the company’s bottom line.

So, how can businesses, like your clients, minimise their costs when it comes to dealing with variances and shrinkage?

How manual processes are wasting time

The following are just two of the many examples where the speed and productivity of a business is drastically affected by processes that have not yet been optimised.

Inefficient Exception Reporting

Exception reporting is the process of flagging any discrepancies between a company’s actual and expected performance. It is an essential part of controlling costs and tightening margins, but completing it manually causes all sorts of problems.

There are so many points in the reporting process that are prime opportunities for errors and inefficiencies:

Scrutiny of inbound stock data

Analysis of outbound stock data

Data entry across a number of different points

Reconciling data across different systems.

Not only is this hugely inefficient, but an error in any one of these steps means massive inaccuracies across all reporting.

Needless to say, the whole process is prone to administrative and paperwork errors that can contribute in driving your client’s businesses inventory shrinkage.

Delayed Variance Investigations

A good example of a knock-on effect from inaccurate reporting is the way it can affect stock variance.

Adjustments and variances tend to pile-up. If you’re waiting weeks, or even months, before you sift through paperwork and complete investigations, then your clients are in huge danger of chasing red herrings and failing to identify the real source of the issues.

By this time these situations will have become not only more difficult to identify and resolve, but more expensive as well.

For example, they might discover that they have been short-delivered stock far too late. Obviously, this is not ideal for a myriad of reasons, but it’s the lost capital that’s going to hurt the most.

That’s the advantage of process automation — real-time alerts of excessive variances and the easy identification of problem areas.

Administration issues contribute greatly to inventory shrinkage

How can your clients get a better grip on their stock — and their margins

Although it will likely always be a factor for any retailer or warehouse, inventory shrinkage can be massively reduced with greater automation.

Automating inventory parameters

Once your clients have process automation integrated within their business, they can set parameters to avoid various triggers of inventory shrinkage. With these parameters your clients can set alerts for whenever they go above or below acceptable stock levels.

This way your client can make sure they never promise a customer a product that they don’t have, or over order stock that will pass a use-by date before it is sold.

Automated stock adjustments

Process automation can also let your clients know when stock adjustments have been completed. This means any issues that come up relating to invoicing or stock levels can be immediately dealt with.

With this process in place your clients will know in real-time if they need to chase up that supplier who forgot to deliver that one extra pallet before it becomes an issue for their customers.

The best part? Implementing process automation doesn’t have to be difficult

HARMONiQ has already helped many wholesalers, retailers and distributers reduce their inventory shrinkage, and ultimately create a much healthier turnover.

In this month’s blog, I’m discussing what you have to think through before you get down to implementing tighter controls in your clients’ business…

3 essential considerations

1. How effective is your clients’ change management?

“Creating sustainable cost transformation is not a change in process – it is a change in thinking that requires complete organisational commitment and involvement.” – Tania Seary, The Faculty

For change to occur – a complete staff buy-in is needed

Management’s ability to prepare and support their team in making fundamental changes will be a defining factor in their success

Your clients will need to establish a culture of cost and margin optimisation.

This new culture must be embraced by all. It won’t happen if senior management is resistant and staff is not involved.

How do you ensure organisational commitment and involvement?

First, management need to make sure it’s not seen as a cost cutting exercise.

The initiative needs to be embraced as a positive, value-adding endeavour — to identify and leverage every point where your clients add (or don’t add) value to their customer.

Second, senior management must commit up front to the mission — its importance — and the process to ensure staff buy-in all the way down the line.

2. Are the right metrics and controls being measured?

To make the right decisions you need to be measuring the right metrics

With today’s modern technologies, businesses can measure almost anything — it’s choosing what to filter out that’s the real challenge.

Businesses need to find the true primary and secondary drivers of their value chain. These are the activities that provide significant value to the end-user — and consequently, competitive advantage to their business.

For example: Is their logistical ability to deliver product more quickly than competitors delivering value to their customers? Or is this unimportant to the customer, and a cheaper alternative could win the day?

A deep dive into each of your clients’ organisational activities will highlight the true value drivers. This will ultimately allow your clients to:

Reduce the cost of invaluable activities.

Spend to add value where it truly matters for their customers.

And make their business more competitive as a result.

3. How will you embed the new controls into your clients’ business?

Reporting on the new metrics must become a core part of their organisation

When you’ve decided the right metrics, you’ll need to set up your clients’ business systems to track, measure, and report on them.

But that’s not just a one-time project.

It’s a continuous process that needs to be imbedded into everyday operations — kept top of mind — and used long-term as an ongoing management tool.

It’s imperative that the project isn’t forgotten just because it is a continuous project.

At the same time, the metrics need to remain flexible, adaptable to market changes and open to continuous improvement.

What happens when you get it right

Once you’ve done the initial hard work, your clients’ business will benefit long term from their ability to:

And there’s only more uncertainty ahead. Probably the greatest threat (or opportunity, depending on where your clients sit) is the growing inroads made by e-commerce.

The arrival of Amazon, in particular, has everyone on edge. According to the Australian Institute of Company Directors, 52% of Australian businesses see Amazon as a threat. Yet only 25% have a plan to compete with the online shopping giant.

With uncontrollable threats to business-as-usual crashing in from all sides, the need to better control what you can control in your client’s business is more vital than ever.

And one area where too many businesses control less than they could? Managing margin and costs.

3 common cost and margin control failings

We’ve worked with a wide range of businesses throughout Australia and New Zealand to pinpoint where they’re vulnerable, and where and how controls need to be tightened.

Many businesses, including those owned by your clients, find that as they grow, their warehousing becomes inefficient and drags behind them. Very few businesses have warehouses optimised for productivity, and continuing to rely on labour-intensive processes results in poor resource utilisation and ineffective inventory management.

The consequences of inefficient warehousing are numerous and affect all aspects of an organisation, especially revenue generation. It also affects customer satisfaction, particularly when your clients’ products are delayed or lost due to disorganisation.

Automated mobile warehousing is becoming an increasingly attractive option as businesses seek a dramatic improvement in their productivity and stocktake process, as well as seeking to have control over inventory.

In this month’s blog, I’ve outlined the three ways that an automated warehouse system can improve previously labour-intensive tasks, and the significant increase in productivity that happens as a result.

For your clients, knowing where products are located in their warehouse is a basic necessity—they need this knowledge for picking stock, which is the first step in delivering their product to a customer. But many organisations, due to incorrectly labelled goods or other reasons, have inaccurate picking methods. Errors in stock management lead to a negative cycle of pick inefficiency in which goods are continuously handled incorrectly and rushed out, leading to a knock-on effect into purchasing and re-stocking. This ultimately results in massive holes in the system that require extra work from warehouse employees to try and mitigate.

In an ideal warehouse, stock is correctly labelled and managed, leading to optimised pick time and making the process much easier. Download your copy of the HARMONIQ Effective Stock Management eBook to learn how an automated warehouse system can increase pick efficiency and save time for your clients.

Most companies see stocktakes as something to be scheduled annually. This often involves shutting down the warehouse for the day, and beginning a slow, labour-intensive process that ultimately results in inaccurate stock levels.

Instead, stocktakes need to be optimised for efficiency and accuracy. We’ve found that the best way to do this is to avoid annual stocktakes, and instead utilise the downtime that happens between couriers. An automated warehouse system allows your clients to use spare moments to run a cyclic continuous stocktake, which increases efficiency and accuracy.

Warehouses usually have one layout plan developed right at the beginning of the moving-in process, and then stock stays in that arrangement forever. This means that as products change, or your clients get more of them based on demand, the warehouse layout stays the same and isn’t optimised for efficiency.

Ideally, the warehouse layout would be improved in much the same way as stocktakes would—using moments of downtime to re-shelve products. A better warehouse layout would lead to a better pick-rate and replenishment system. By continually adapting the warehouse layout to respond to the demands of picking, the process would drive efficiency and be less labour-intensive, leading to on-time deliveries and even more time to do other tasks.

How can I start leveraging automated warehousing in my clients’ businesses?

As well as eliminating or simplifying labour intensive tasks, organisations driven by an automated warehouse system have the edge over their competitors because they are able to:

Save time and money;

Improve stock accuracy;

Reduce overstocking and shrinkage;

Track items from ‘goods in’ to ‘goods out’;

Automatically update stock records in real time;

Minimise picking times and picking errors;

Assign barcodes for loose or un-barcoded items; and

Carry out rolling stock takes.

Download the HARMONiQ: Effective Stock Management eBook today as your next step guide on becoming a supplier that allows organisations to be driven by smarter warehousing—because your clients’ computer systems should not be a barrier to implementing an effective stock management process.

If you would like to see the impact HARMONiQ’s Mobile Warehousing can have on your clients’ businesses, then click here to request a demo and I’ll be in touch shortly.

Author bio:

Drew Arthur is the Managing Director of Micronet Systems, and is focused on working with accountants and professional services providers to help their clients tune their businesses by leveraging cutting-edge technology. If you want to help your clients gain further efficiencies within their business while boosting your own revenue, click here to see how HARMONiQ Business Tuning Software can make a difference to their business and your own, or get in touch.

https://harmoniq.com.au/wp-content/uploads/HARMONiQ-square-logo.jpg500500mathmarketinghttps://harmoniq.com.au/wp-content/uploads/harmoniq_Accounting_Solutions_Software.logo_.jpgmathmarketing2017-11-29 14:49:492018-11-22 08:46:41How your clients can gain efficiency with an automated warehouse system

There’s no doubt that gaining control of your clients’ stock and learning how to manage it is one of the most challenging things you could do for their business. The best way to think about your clients’ stock is to treat it like cash – if your client wouldn’t leave $100 notes lying around their warehouse, why would they leave their stock unchecked and waiting to go missing? Learning how to efficiently manage stock for your clients is critical.

More and more businesses like your clients are thinking about how to optimise their stock management strategy – using tools and equipment to control their inventory in order to balance customer needs while minimising the cost of carrying excess items.

Today, organisations have access to control and update their inventory in real-time. By embracing effective stock management, organisations can mitigate future risks, and optimise purchasing procedures.

In this blog, I’ve outlined the three reasons why your clients’ business should have control of their inventory, and the ways taking control can benefit their organisation.

1. Mitigate risks early on

A better inventory control system in your clients’ warehouse will eliminate inaccuracies in their stock levels.

Traditionally, the recording of stock is done through a time-consuming, labour-intensive yearly stocktake — a highly inefficient process that inevitably leads to inaccuracies and loss in your clients’ stock levels.

Having doubts about the accuracy of your clients’ stock-on-hand reports costs them down the line. Ultimately these mistakes get recorded as shrinkage, resulting in lost revenue and, sometimes, the perception of theft in your clients’ warehouse.

By implementing a new system that allows you to efficiently record and track all of your clients’ inventory, eliminates inaccurate stock records and minimises time spent on stocktakes. Download your copy of the HARMONIQ Effective Stock Management eBook to learn how adopting an inventory control system through an integrated ERP will mitigate risks in your clients’ warehouses.

2. Eliminate excess or back-orders for your client

The inaccuracies of pen and paper processes are in the past once you adopt effective tools for stock management.

What tools are you using to optimise your clients ordering process?

Many warehouses much like your clients, rely on guesswork to order stock, and as a result stock levels don’t match what is required to meet demand. This means your client either doesn’t order enough of what their customers require —resulting in lost sales, dissatisfied customers and reputation impacts — or they have excess inventory and dead stock, meaning money wasted and an impact on their profitability.

Some of your clients’ business’ might simply lack the tools to optimise their ordering, and instead rely on simple programs like Excel or pen and paper processes even when their business has far outgrown them.

A system that is fit-for-purpose and will allow your client to gain control over the ordering process will be a powerful tool, and our studies show that an integrated inventory system can result in a 7.5% decrease in the frequency of out-of-stock inventory. Find out more about how to gain control of your clients’ stock ordering in theHARMONIQ Effective Stock Management eBook.

3. Visibility over your clients’ entire stock

Gain insights into your clients’ business when you gain visibility over all of their inventory.

If your clients’ have multiple warehouses and they’re still using basic systems for inventory management, it is virtually impossible to have visibility over all of their stock. A lack of visibility ultimately causes all of their other tasks to be time-consuming and inaccurate, such as transferring or sending out stock.

By eliminating basic processes, you can help your client can gain valuable insights into their business. Our studies show that, paired with an integrated inventory system like HARMONiQ, 95.4% of your clients’ outbound orders will be delivered to customers complete and on time. Your client is also much more likely to have online visibility into in-transit shipment status.

Maintaining accurate and visible stock levels across your clients’ organisation enables all departments who rely on accurate stock detail to work more efficiently and make smarter decisions. To learn how to implement an inventory control system that provides access to real time, accurate data and can also simplify work processes within your clients’ organisation, download your copy of the HARMONIQ Effective Stock Management eBook.

How can my client start leveraging an effective inventory control system?

When your clients’ organisation is driven by an effective inventory control system, they will have the edge over their competitors because they can easily track, record, and order stock, eliminating inefficiencies and helping them to minimise excess and keep their customers happy.

If you would like to see the impact effective stock management can have on your clients’ business, then click here to request a demo of HARMONiQ and I’ll be in touch shortly.

Author bio:

Drew Arthur is the Managing Director of Micronet Systems, and is focused on working with accountants and professional services providers to help their clients tune their businesses by leveraging cutting-edge technology. If you want to help your clients gain further efficiencies within their business while boosting your own revenue, click here to see how HARMONiQ Business Tuning Software can make a difference to their business and your own, or get in touch.

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Does real-time data back your client’s decision-making or do they just rely on a gut feel approach?

With a world of data out there, think about how much more your clients’ business could improve if they were backed by robust data analysis and insights.

Many people think leveraging Big Data software is unaffordable and too time-consuming for small to medium businesses, but is this really the case?

Today, businesses of all sizes use data to obtain greater visibility of current trends and market activity, enabling them to make effective decisions, create opportunities, and control their inventory.

When your clients’ organisations embrace the power of Big Data, they have the potential to develop an informed understanding of their business, backed by hard numbers.

In this month’s blog, I’ve outlined the three most common ways a shift to Big Data can benefit your clients’ organisation.

Three ways Big Data software can improve your clients’ business

1. Effective decision making

For your client, Big Data software will increase the effectiveness of their everyday decision-making.

Traditionally, you will find most of your small to medium clients rely on a gut feel approach when it comes to important decision-making. Because decision-makers in companies of this size are often the business owners or CEOs, relying on a gut feel approach is time-consuming and can lead to unaffordable delays in important decisions.

In our experience, your clients will usually only investigate data when they need an answer to a specific question, or when something has gone wrong. A major issue with this approach is it makes your clients’ business reactive and not pro-active. Helping your client manage their business is difficult enough, but without real-time data, they won’t be aware of a problem until it’s too late, and they can’t just hand over some of the pressures of decision-making to their staff.

Implementing Big Data software in your clients’ organisation empowers their staff with the ability to make data-driven decisions so that the owner or CEO can focus on the higher-level strategic initiatives of the business. Download your copy of the HARMONiQ Power of Big Data eBook to see how data-driven decision making can empower your clients’ staff and improve their organisations.

2. Opportunity creation

Increase the creation of opportunities within your clients’ business when you help them unlock the power of Big Data.

A data-driven organisation can access insights that lead to opportunity creation and optimisation. Big Data can allow your client to identify why some customers are growing faster than others, and how they can work to improve relationships with their weaker customers.

Often Big Data software can break down your clients’ customers and salespeople into three categories: Average, Good, and Great.

Using this grading system, your clients’ may decide to assign their top performing resources to under-performing opportunities to lift their standing. Alternatively, they may decide to have their poorer performing resources shadow their top performers for training purposes.

Big Data helps your clients’ business by giving them visibility of open opportunities in their organisation so they can make the correct resourcing decisions.

3. Inventory control

For your client, effectively controlling their inventory has never been easier with HARMONiQ’s ERP software.

Your client’s inventory should be treated like cash because, at the end of the day, the money they’ve spent on inventory has an opportunity cost. Unfortunately, clients’ like yours, often make the mistake of letting excess inventory lie – what else could they be doing with the funds they have tied up in excess inventory?

HARMONiQ’s ERP platform is specifically tailored to help your clients assess what stock isn’t selling well, or where it is selling best, and what products they should be restocking. Their inventory will be monitored around the clock, enabling your clients to make effective purchasing decisions based on real-time inventory data.

Big Data software will ensure your clients’ inventory is up to date, is tracked at all times, and is easily comparable with market trends. To find out more about inventory control for your clients’ business, download the HARMONiQ Power of Big Data eBook.

How can my client begin leveraging Big Data software?

When Big Data software drives your clients’ organisation, they have the edge over their competitors because they can easily track, record, and utilise data in their business to facilitate and expedite the decision-making process.

Download the HARMONiQ: Power of Big Data eBook today as your guide on assisting your client in becoming driven by the power of Big Data. This eBook will help your client identify how Big Data can be utilised in their business to lift their performance.

If you would like to see HARMONiQ solutions in action and witness the power of Big Data for yourself, then click here to request a demo and I’ll be in touch shortly.

Author bio:

Drew Arthur is the Managing Director of Micronet Systems and is focused on working with accountants and professional services providers to help their clients tune their business by leveraging cutting-edge technology. If you want to help your clients gain further efficiencies within their business while boosting your revenue, click here to see how HARMONiQ Business Tuning Software can make a difference to their business and your own, or get in touch.